4th Circuit DWI court finishes second full year

Saturday

MONROE — For 14 people in Ouachita Parish, the day begins by checking a color. That way, they know whether it's their day to be tested.

It can happen at any time, part of the agreement they made when they agreed to enter the 4th District Court's DWI court program.

The program, officials say, serves a dual purpose. It protects citizens by constantly monitoring what District Attorney Jerry Jones calls hardcore drunks. It also gives the offenders a chance to reclaim their lives.

In the process, officials say, the taxpayer saves money.

"The idea behind the court is to treat the chronic alcoholic," Jones said. He said DWI court handles true third offenders, which, at this point, is considered a felony offense.

Jones, who was awarded the 2009 DWI Prosecutor of the Year, said 14 hardcore drunks have been taken off the road since the program's beginning.

Jones noted that it's impossible to run 1,000 people through DWI court, which is why it is limited to felony offenders.

"We've yet to have one positive urine test come back," said Molly Kelley, coordinator for the $300,000 grant that helped establish the DWI court, which runs in conjunction with drug court every Thursday.

The grant, which Mothers Against Drunk Driving helped the office obtain, bought the ankle monitors and covers part of the drug tests. Participants must $45 a month toward the rest of the costs.

The 4th District was the third system in the state to get DWI court, which has just finished its second full year.

Once the judge accepts the offender's plea participants must agree to enter the DWI court program and follow its guidelines treatment starts immediately.

Several professionals work in conjunction with the court to help move the participants along. Among those professionals are Roy Baas, social service counselor for the Office of Addictive Disorders; Bob Hilton, DWI court case manager; and Monica Lloyd, probation and parole officer for the court.

There are four phases, in accordance with DWI court.

Throughout each phase, the participants are required to attend three Alcoholic Anonymous meetings a week.

Phase 1, labeled the "most intense," consists of three hours of group therapy, three days a week, a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and a minimum of six weeks of "clean time," or sobriety.

Baas said throughout this phase, the participant must come to grips with their addiction and accept its existence.

Phase 2 of the program consists of two hours of group therapy, two times a week, a 11 p.m.- 6 a.m. curfew and a minimum of 10 weeks of clean time.

Baas said Phase 2, which lasts ideally between four and six months, deals with coping.

"The question for them is, 'how do I get through this day semi-comfortable without using?'"

Phase 3 consists of group therapy two hours at a time, one day a week, a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew and a minimum of a year of clean time.

Baas said the main emphasis in Phase 3 is building independent relationships and working on those that are tattered.

Phase 3 of the program lasts a year.

Finally comes Phase 4, during which participants are required to attend group therapy sessions every other week, no curfew and a minimum of six months of clean time.

Hilton said he expects to have someone in this phase by mid-spring. But because the program is developing, no one has reached Phase 4.

There are only two outcomes: "Complete the program or go to jail," Hilton said.

Baas said the program is intensive and forces participants to face life's realities.

"When you get in here you have to deal with life the way it is," Baas said. "That's new territory for some of them."

"It's rewarding from the judicial perspective to see people turn their lives around," she said.

Marchman said the court makes economic sense.

Hilton said that on average it costs $30,000 per year to incarcerate one person; however, it costs $4,500 to treat one person.

"You have to think from a global standpoint," Marchman said. "It affects businesses. Employers like employees who are enrolled in drug court because they know they will be drug-screened often."

Hilton, who was a Louisiana State trooper for 29 years before working with the DA's office, explained that without proper treatment, the cycle continues. The same kind of person who was locked up is once again released into society.

Marchman believes drug court has raised community awareness of substance abuse issues in the area."Alcohol is the most-abused drug in our community," she said.

She explained that there is a "crossover" in drug use, explaining that, for some, drugs become interchangeable, despite being in solid or liquid form.

Marchman said she attempts to know the people who pass through her courtroom.

"This way, I'm confident they will know what I will accept and what I will not accept."

Marchman said the court always attempts to point out the positive, no matter the situation.

"To see an adult stand before you who has never been encouraged do well is rewarding," she said.

Marchman credits the district attorney's office and law enforcement with the success of the program.

"The DA is hugely supportive of the program," she said. "You don't always see that. It's a reflection of his seeing a need for this program. There's no other DA in that state that has placed a prosecutor in drug court. That means a great deal in support."

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